Do You Have To Play Club Sports To Get Recruited?
With a constantly intensifying level of competition within collegiate athletics, more and more prospective student-athletes are competing at the club ranks.
You do not have to play club sports to get recruited, but it certainly helps. As collegiate athletics become more and more competitive, college coaches are often looking towards prospective student-athletes with as much high-level experience as possible. Club sports offer this opportunity to prospective student-athletes given that they get to showcase their talents to college scouts, while also playing against the highest level of competition.
Included below is some additional detailed information that should help clarify whether you need to play club sports to be recruited. This article touches on just how many prospective student-athletes are actually competing in club sports as well as why they do it.
Is Everyone Playing Club Sports?
The obvious answer is no, but club sports are becoming more and more popular for prospective student-athletes with elite talent. Many still follow the traditional high school path hoping to get recruited, but today there is a rapidly growing number of prospective student-athletes competing on club teams.
More Youth Competing: While not everyone is playing club sports, the reason for their exponential growth in popularity is mainly due to an uptick in youth competing. Every year kids are starting to play club sports at younger and younger ages, with hopeful parents who believe that they may be good enough to earn an athletic scholarship. If you didn’t play club sports when you were younger, it’s not the end of the world. Putting in consistent effort to develop your game will give you a good shot at receiving a scholarship, regardless of who you play for.
Sport By Sport: The level of club sports participation varies heavily amongst prospective student-athletes by sport. For more traditional and common high school sports such as football, participation at the club level is much smaller. To this point, in an NCAA survey it was concluded that only approximately twenty-four percent of high school football players play at the club level. This contrasts heavily with a sport like women’s volleyball which see’s club participation at a striking ninety-one percent amongst high school women’s volleyball players. So, why is this contrast so striking? When prospective student-athletes begin to switch to club sports, it’s often because of the opportunity to play much stronger competition and receive better coaching. For a sport with the popularity of football however, players much less often seek to play at the club level. High school football is unlike many other high school sports in the sense that it’s so popular for fans and athletes alike. With the sport having such a large fanbase, more money is often funneled into it, making both the level of coaching and competition much better.
Pushing Athletes Away From High School: While not everyone is playing club sports, the growing number who are is certainly sending a ripple through the high school athletics world. For a sport such as soccer which sees almost ninety-five percent club participation, many are pushing high school athletics to the side entirely. Club tournaments and showcases are recently becoming the best way to earn athletic scholarships, and growing tuition for colleges is making it difficult for many prospective student-athletes to choose high school over club athletics.
According to the NCAA, approximately 8 million students participate in high school athletics. This statistic is certainly enough to say that you don’t need to compete at the club level to fulfill your dream of playing collegiate athletics. Keep working hard and putting your best foot forward.
Why Are So Many Playing Club Sports?
Since 1988, high school athletics had increased in participation every year up until 2018. Club sports are accountable for this decreasing participation rate, and here is why.
Coaches Can Attend More Games: Before a coach pulls the trigger and offers you an athletic scholarship, they will often want to see you play in person. With so many high-level prospects playing club sports, fewer coaches are making their way to high school sporting events each year. In addition to this, many club teams compete nearly year-round. This is in comparison to the two or three months that high school teams compete. With so many more games and events to make it to, coaches are beginning to find themselves at club showcases and tournaments more and more often. With that said, coaches certainly will still attend some high school athletic events, just not as many. For many collegiate coaches however, the thought process is relatively simple. Most prospective student-athletes who have the potential to be recruited are already playing club sports in addition to their high school seasons, so it often makes more sense to attend club showcases and tournaments for recruiting purposes.
Often Better Coaching: Club teams often have much more experienced coaching than do high school teams, leading to more effective player development. Prospective student-athletes who play at the club level often realize that high school coaches may have little to no experience. Some coaches at the high school level often coach just to make a few extra bucks. There are obviously many high school coaches with quite a bit of experience, but prospective student-athletes who are serious about playing collegiate athletics, if financially feasible, will want to play club sports primarily for the better coaching and potential for personal development.
Highest Level Of Competition: For almost all sports played in high school outside of football, the club level offers the highest level of competition. Many prospective student-athletes want to play at the club level solely because it’s so competitive. Consistently competing within club sports is a great way to develop your game, as playing against others who are just as good as or better than you will quickly build your skillset.
Longer Seasons: Having such long seasons, often even year-round, is another reason that more and more prospective student-athletes are playing club sports. While high school teams will more often than not have some form of offseason workouts to develop their game outside of the short 2-3 month season window, it still is nowhere near the amount of time that club teams work to do so. Club teams will often compete year-round, making them a great option for prospective student-athletes who are serious about developing their game and receiving scholarship offers.
While club sports certainly aren’t necessary to get noticed by college coaches, they definitely don’t hurt. Additionally, many prospective student-athletes who are playing at the club level are also playing for their high school teams. If you can’t play for a club team for whatever the reason may be, don’t feel as if you have no chance to compete collegiately. Stay dedicated and diligent and your hard work can pay off regardless of whether or not you competed at the club level.
Things To Keep In Mind
High School Sports Is Still A Great Option: Regardless of the opportunities that club sports may provide athletes, it’s important to remember their cost. They aren’t cheap. If club sports aren’t financially sensible, don’t fear. For the past few decades high school sports have been the premier way for prospective student-athletes to attain scholarship offers. While club sports are seeing a greater number of players receiving scholarships each year, there are still a huge sum of athletes receiving athletic scholarships the ‘old-fashioned way.’ As long as you continue to develop your game and perform well when given the opportunity, not playing club sports more often than not won’t be a hindrance when trying to attain an athletic scholarship.
Playing Club Sports Doesn’t Guarantee A Scholarship: One thing to keep in mind is that just because you play for a club basketball or soccer team, you aren’t guaranteed an athletic scholarship. Parents spend thousands of dollars every year to have their children compete at the highest level of the sport, hopeful that they will have the talent to be awarded an athletic scholarship. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that way. Many prospective student-athletes who played club sports won’t receive an athletic scholarship offer. While it may seem like a good investment, you may have just as good a chance at getting an athletic scholarship while playing for your high school team.
It’s Up To You: While playing on a club sports team may be somewhat beneficial in trying to receive an athletic scholarship, it’s ultimately up to you. You can be surrounded by the best coaching staff, competitors, and facilities, but still not be good enough to play collegiate athletics. You have to work hard day in and day out as a prospective student-athlete if you want to receive an athletic scholarship. There are thousands of high school athletes every year looking to make their mark and earn an athletic scholarship, yet so few do. The best way to achieve this dream is to keep working hard, regardless of whether or not you play for your high school or a club team.